OPENING CEREMONY EXPLORE THE WILDERNESS

WC: 535
Mentions: WILD AND FREE TENT -- @Xio Arcana, @Nessarose Goldwins, @Casimir Beaumont, @Elara Whitlock, @Irene Stone, @Willow Anderson, @Bartholomew Lindenmomo

Bella had never been to Uagadou. Ever. She heard of the school, of course, that was located in Africa, but she has never been to Africa, either. She was super excited and walked with a bounce in her step up the footpath of the New Moon Gate, her tentmates and friends by her side.

Bella knew that students from all over the different magical schools would attend this event, and she was eager to meet some new faces as well as get to know everyone better. She heard that the school was especially connected to the moon, though she wasn't sure why, but she thought the gate had an appropriate name as the New Moon Gate.

Upon entering the school, Bella heard the rushing sound of...a waterfall? Indeed, it was a grand waterfall, falling from the upper levels to the lowest levels of the school. There were also large stone buildings, grass, and so many other sights that Bella couldn't stop admiring.

As soon as she broke herself out of her daze, Bella tugged on Xio's arm and muttered, "Woahh, isn't this amazing? What do you think of it?" She then tapped her friend from Slytherin, Irene, on the shoulder and asked both of them, "Don't you hear the waterfall? This school is so connected to nature, right? Wow..."

Bella let out a gasp as she saw the statues leading to the Grand Hall, each with a plaque on it that made Bella stop to read until one of her tentmates tugged and pulled her away.

When everyone arrived in the Great Hall of Uagadou, Bella spun in a circle and looked to Xio.
"What do you think, compared to the Hogwarts Great Hall? They are both so grand, aren't they? Have you ever been to Uagadou? Wait, I should have asked this before."

Bella then spun to a stop and turned to look at her tentmates. "Have any of you been to Uagadou to visit or at least seen the front of it? I feel like I should have, but I've never. How about you all?"

Finally, after a short while, a woman stood in the front and introduced herself and the other headmaster, Headmaster Albrecht. She told them all to eat a good meal and get all the energy they needed for the rest of the day. The food started to appear in front of them, and Bella laughed.

"This is just like the first day, isn't it? Our first day, with the sorting ceremony and all. But now we can all sit together, although we are from different houses, and ooh, I just can't wait!" Bella squealed, then reminded herself to tone it down a bit. She smiled at her tentmates, "Sorry, sorry. Umm...want to introduce ourselves to each other? I already know some of you, but still, basic introductions for review? What do you all think?"

OOC Notes: I thought we could do basic introductions here, and then get to know each other later in a separate tent thread of our own if we would like!

| Date: September 21st, 2026 | Time: Morning | Location: Uagadou | WILD & FREE TENT
| Mentions: @Bella Light | @Nessarose Goldwins | @Casimir Beaumont | @Elara Whitlock | @Irene Stone | @Willow Anderson | @Bartholomew Lindenmomo |
| Song: Birds Dont Sing - TV girl ˜”*°•x•°*”˜ | Outfit: ˜”*°•x•°*”˜ |

Xio would have been an unyielding missile of curiosity if the grand architecture had not continually distracted her. Every few steps, something new caught her attention: a carved arch disappearing into the mountainside, a wall built from stone that seemed to grow naturally out of the earth, or a cluster of dark rocks that might have been ordinary debris—or might have been placed there deliberately centuries ago.

She wanted to touch everything.

She wanted to press her palms against the walls, trace the grooves in the stone, and determine which parts of the structure had been shaped by human hands and which had simply been left to the whims of the landscape. The school did not merely sit on the land; it seemed to belong to it. Its towers, bridges, and courtyards blended so seamlessly with the surrounding cliffs that Xio could hardly tell where the architecture ended and the mountain began. The only thing preventing her from darting away from the group was the distant awareness that she had teammates watching her.

That—and the possibility of embarrassing herself, her teammates, and all of Hogwarts at once. So Xio kept her body under control. Her mind and mouth, however, were making up for it.

“Bella, why don’t we have a waterfall?”

She asked, turning her head so quickly that her hair brushed across her face.

“Wait, no, I take it back. The Highlands are freezing on a typical day. Perhaps it’s best that we don’t have a waterfall after all.”

She glanced toward the distant rush of water and immediately reconsidered.

“We should go touch it later.”

The idea had barely left her mouth before she began plotting several possible routes to the waterfall. There was a narrow passage branching off behind one of the outer courtyards. It looked as though it might connect to a lower path, and if the group paused at the right moment—or if Xio managed to fall just far enough behind without anyone noticing—she could investigate. She was already imagining the walk.

First, she would follow the stone railing toward the lower terrace. Then she would cut across the garden, assuming the garden was not restricted. If it was restricted, she could perhaps climb over the side wall. Not that she would. Probably. The waterfall looked close enough to reach, and the sound of it seemed to vibrate through the ground beneath her shoes. For the moment, she forced herself to keep walking.

The procession moved through another vast corridor, its ceiling rising several stories overhead. Patterns had been carved into the stone above them—interlocking shapes that seemed to shift depending on where she stood. Xio tipped her head back, trying to follow the design to its center, and nearly walked into Bella. Bella had stopped beside a small plaque mounted on the wall.

“Oh,” Xio murmured, blinking as she looked down. “What does that say?”

Bella had already begun reading the inscription. Xio leaned slightly in her direction, but her attention was drawn back toward the ceiling almost immediately. There was something about the way the sunlight entered through the high windows, striking the carved stone and turning the shadows into layered patterns. She wondered whether the ceiling had been designed to resemble the surrounding mountains—or whether the mountains had influenced the ceiling at all.

By the time she looked down again, the rest of the students had continued forward.

“Oh.” Xio reached out, caught Bella gently by the sleeve, and tugged her along. “We’re falling behind,” she whispered, though her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling, distracted herself. “We can come back and read it properly later.”

As the group continued through the school, Bella asked whether anyone on the team had ever visited Uagadou. It seemed unlikely, unless one of them had a close friend or family member who attended. That possibility also seemed fairly remote.

Xio considered the question for half a second before raising her hand slightly.

“I have,” she said. “Once, but only for a Quidditch match. My brother was playing against their team, and we didn’t get to see the actual school. We stayed near the pitch and the visiting grounds, so this is quite the delightful treat.”

She looked around again, her expression brightening as if the word treat had reminded her of something.

There were no two sections of the building that looked exactly alike. Some corridors were open to the sky, while others were tucked beneath enormous stone overhangs. Vines curled around pillars. Water ran through narrow channels beside the walkways. Even the doors seemed to have been designed with a kind of deliberate individuality, each one carrying different symbols, colors, or patterns.

Xio was beginning to suspect that Uagadou had been built specifically to make guests lose track of time.

Eventually, the group entered the hall and began taking their seats. The moment everyone had settled, food appeared across the tables in a coordinated rush. Dishes materialized in bright bowls and wide platters, filling the air with unfamiliar aromas—smoke, citrus, spice, roasted herbs, and something sweet that Xio could not identify. She leaned toward Bella, eyes widening.

“It’s almost like Hogwarts,” she whispered. “Almost.”

The dishes were far more colorful than what they typically saw in the Great Hall. Bright vegetables, vividly colored sauces, unfamiliar fruits, and steaming portions covered the tables. Some ingredients looked recognizable, though prepared in ways Xio had never encountered. Others were complete mysteries. She pointed toward a dish near Bella’s plate.

“The food here definitely has a lot more color, and there are ingredients we don’t commonly see at Hogwarts. Be careful. There might be extra-spicy things in their diet.”

Xio paused, then reached for a piece of bread as though she were preparing for an emergency.

“If something starts smoking, do not swallow it. That is my first piece of advice.”

OOC Notes: Oof 1k words lets go! XD

Date: September 21st, 2026
Location: Uagadou
Word Count: 726
Interacting with: N/A

Zephyr thought he’s already seen enough unfamiliar things to keep his mind occupied for the rest of the day but he was dead wrong. His first look at Uagadou began from the village, the school was somewhere inside that enormous mountain. He knew that much, but knowing it and actually standing on it were two different things. Hogwarts was impressive already the first time he saw it from across the black lake, but visiting another magical school still gave him that same strange feeling of stepping into somewhere he had previously known only as a name. He chose the footpath and there was also the cable car available. It would have been quicker if he chose the latter but after travelling all the way here by portkey, walking sounded better for him right now. Besides, the climb gave him an excuse to look around.

When he reached the New Moon Gate, he was warm from the walk but with more interest in the entrance itself. New Moon Gate. He repeated the name internally as he entered, curious as to why it was called that. Hogwarts had gates obviously but there’s nothing based on the phases of the moon. It was the sound of the water that greeted him as soon as he was inside. His attention went there automatically and spotted the waterfall. Streams reached the grounds as well and beyond that were neverending grass and a large area with crops. “Wooow…” Does Uagadou grew their own food for the school right here? His mother would like this place and she would spend asking what they grew and if she could take seeds home. He smiled and followed everyone else to what look like a great hall. It was the statues that distracted him on the way.

He would stop once in a while to read the plaque. Uagadou was founded in the eighth century, but by how many was uncertain. Hogwarts was said to have four founders whose names every student knew but in here, the school’s beginning was combination of stories passed down over centuries. He liked the part about humility. The next statue of a young girl holding what was called Dream Token which answered his question about the gates, and it seemed it created six more. Four entrances and four phases of the moon. Zephyr read about the Dream Messengers and how prospective students received their invitations. His eyebrows rose when he reached the ritual. They don’t receive envelopes here but a girl appearing in dreams to leave a token that one had to hold under the moon while reciting a phrase. Zaria would have been unbearably jealous. The words - Together, we will follow our dreams was quite nice.

The final statue was easy to recognise as an animal, although he had never seen a three horned chameleon ever. He read the plaque and stopped at the section about shapeshifting. All of them? His eyes widened. The story claimed members of the original tribe were able to transform into animals, something now understood as Animagus magic. Zephyr knew becoming an Animagus was not that simple. Imagine an entire group skilled at it was difficult to imagine. There was also the Transfiguration which he struggled the most. Why is it that impressive magical abilities always involve Transfiguration? Finding out that Uagadou students were accomplished at it was not reassuring.

Once at the great hall, purple and silver banners were the ones that greeted him. There were also candles floated on the walls, and flowers covered the circular tables. He recognised none of them and made a mental note to find out what they were soon. If he was visiting somewhere with plants he’s never seen before, then he’s not going home without learning at least a few names. When he saw the Sculpture of Dreams, he was not certain what he was looking at but after seeing something there, he looked away. He found a place at one of the circular tables and sat down, but even then, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing around while students from different schools joined them. When someone’s voice amplified voice was heard throughout the Hall with a loud ‘Karibuni wote!’, his attention went to the lady. He didn’t know what the words means but he surmised it must be a welcome greeting for obvious reasons.

Elara stayed with the group during the walk through Uagadou. She didn't say much. There was already so much to take in. The waterfall was the first thing that really stood out to her. The sound of the water could be heard from quite far away. She glanced towards it as they walked, wondering how high it was. She wasn't tempted to wander off, though. There were too many people around, and she didn't want to get separated from the group. The statues along the way caught her interest too. She slowed down when she saw the plaques beside them. There was a lot of history behind this place. Elara wished she had more time to stop and read everything.

When Bella asked if anyone had visited Uagadou before, Elara shook her head. "No. I've never been here before." It was true. This was her first time seeing another magical school. The Great Hall was just as interesting. Elara took in the flowers on the tables and the silver and purple banners. Her attention went to the Sculpture of Dreams next. She hadn't seen anything like it at Hogwarts. Elara looked at the names carved into its base. She wondered what the sculpture was for. She eventually took her seat. Food appeared across the tables soon after. Elara wasn't sure what some of it was. She recognized a few things, but not everything. After Xio's warning, she was especially careful with anything that looked too spicy.

She picked something familiar first. Bella's comment about the meal reminded Elara of Hogwarts. The first day had been a little like this. Everyone was meeting new people. The difference was that this time, they weren't all from Hogwarts. Then Bella suggested introductions. Elara listened as Irene went first. She wasn't sure if she should be next, but no one else seemed to be speaking yet. I suppose I should introduce myself too. She sat a little straighter. "I'm Elara Whitlock. I'm a first year from Hufflepuff. Nice to meet you all." That was enough for her. Elara picked up her fork again and waited to hear who would introduce themselves next.